What Research Tells Us About the Impact and Challenges of Smaller Learning Communities

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Abstract
In the United States, considerable financial and human resources have been devoted to breaking some large high schools into smaller learning communities (SLCs). This article reviews research that compares SLCs to comprehensive high schools on a variety of measures. Extant research neither supports nor refutes the promise of SLCs to improve academic achievement; however, research does suggest that SLCs can improve attendance, graduation rates, and students’ experience of high schools as supportive environments. The article also uses empirical research to identify three challenges SLCs must overcome if they are to improve academic achievement: focusing on instructional improvement, ensuring equity and rigor, and transcending school history.

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